Manila, Sep 2 : Three people were killed and six others injured after a van crashed into an electric pole along a national road in Isabela province, north of Manila, police said Tuesday.

Police said the van carrying nine people, including the driver, slammed into an electric pole around 1 am local time on Monday, while it was traveling north to San Pablo City from Ilagan City, the provincial capital, Xinhua News Agency reported.

One of the victims died on the spot while the other two succumbed to their injuries later at a local hospital.

The van's driver was in critical condition at a local hospital.

An initial investigation suggested that the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel, leading to the crash.

The impact severely damaged the van and toppled the electric pole, triggering a power outage in the area, police added.

On August 29, a woman was killed and two others were injured after a dump truck carrying sand crashed into a roadside house in Laguna province, southeast of Manila, local authorities said.

The municipal disaster risk reduction and management office said the crash occurred on a descending part of the road in Mabitac town on August 29, killing the woman at the scene.

The injured, also members of the household, were rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

Surveillance footage of the accident, posted on social media, showed the driver was jumping off the truck moments before the crash.

The driver reportedly fled after the incident and is now being hunted by authorities.

On August 25, a family of four were killed after their tricycle collided with an oncoming vehicle in Pangasinan province, the Philippines, police said.

Police said the crash happened along a highway in Infanta town, killing the driver, his wife, and their two young children.

Initial investigation showed the tricycle hit a tree branch on the roadside, causing the driver to lose control and crash into a van coming from the opposite lane.

A tricycle in the Philippines is a type of motorised vehicle consisting of a motorcycle and a passenger cab or a sidecar attached to it.

/IANS